The 89-year-old’s estimated personal fortune, largely inherited from her family, is about $US425 million ($604 million), according to an analysis by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The monarchy is still one of Britain’s most valuable institutions. Gross domestic product averaged 2 per cent annually in the Victorian era, compared with 2.5 per cent a year in the Elizabethan era. The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Elizabeth was born in London as the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and educated privately at home. Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, on 14 November 1948. A second child, Princess Anne, was born in 1950. Elizabeth’s pregnancies with Princes Andrew and Edward, in 1959 and 1963, mark the only times she has not performed the State Opening of the British parliament during her reign. In 2002, Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee as Queen and in 2012 was the Diamond Jubilee. She does not intend to abdicate.
